A Kiss of Yesterday
by Moonlight Usagi-Chan
Summary: After her career and love life took a detour five years ago, Serena Tsukino was finally beginning to feel that things were heading in the right direction. However, when her old flame, Darien Shields, returns to proclaim his love for her, the wounds that never completely healed resurface. Facing "what should have been" in her new reality proves to be harder than she thought.
1. Prologue

"It's here! It's here it's here it's here!"

Irene looked up from her newspaper and watched as her child –correction: her 22 year old daughter – run through the house shrieking and waving a piece of paper. She quickly glanced over to her husband, who had the same quizzical look on his face. Before they could react, Serena burst into the room.

"I got in! I did it!" she exclaimed as she proudly held up her acceptance letter. Simultaneously, both parents leapt out of their seats and cheered, throwing their arms around their university-bound daughter.

"Oh Serena, we are so proud of you!" Irene exclaimed happily as she tightened her arms around her daughter. The excitement was infectious, and she soon began jumping up and down.

"I just can't believe it! Even with applying late they accepted me into the program," she cheerfully laughed as she reread the acceptance letter. She then passed it off to Ken, who read the letter before passing it on to Irene.

"I can't believe my daughter is going to get her master's in finance," he shook his head in a prideful disbelief. Ten years ago he never would have imagined his pigtailed, video-game loving, ice cream-aholic daughter would be financial savvy and ready to study further into it.

"I have to tell Darien! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" She squealed as she made her exit, but not before grabbing her phone and running up the stairs. Both parents looked at each other and exchanged another glowing smile.

#

"Darien, I did it! I got in to Syracuse!" Serena exclaimed over the phone.

"Serena, that's amazing!" Darien replied. Serena flopped back into her pillows and started kicking the air.

"I just can't believe that after months of us being apart we can be reunited. Fate really was on our side." Serena smiled broadly. Six months ago, Darien moved out to Syracuse after accepting an internship at one of the hospitals in the city. Unfortunately, the couple was separated by a long commute, Serena's final semester at Ohio State, and work hours in between. The phone was the only thing keeping them alive; that and Serena's pending acceptance to the University. She had applied to the program late after learning of Darien's move, and she couldn't stand being without him. Prior to him leaving the couple lived together for a year, making the time apart even harder for her to accept.

"So I can move in with you next month then, right?" she knowingly stated. She couldn't wait to snuggle in their bed again, seeing he needed it more than she did. She moved back into her parent's house for the time being, after all.

"Wait, what?" He sounded surprised.

"Well, yeah, isn't that the whole point of this?" she asked.

"Serena," he groaned. "Can we discuss this later?"

Perplexed, she sat up. "No, Darien, we can discuss this now. Why are you being weird about this?"

"Serena, it's just that my place is really small, and I'm never here, and…" he trailed off.

"Well, yea, I know that, but I'm in school so it's not like I need you around all the time. Dare, what does that have to do with anything?"

"It just came as a sudden shock, Sere, that's all," he signed over the phone.

"How do you figure?" she retaliated. "You knew I was applying. You knew there was a good chance I was coming up. So how is this a shock?"

"I don't know, Serena. I don't know." Serena exhaled a frustrated breath into her bangs. Clearly he was irritated, but with no reason.

"I've got to go," she promptly said. "Thanks for ruining this, Darien."

"Whatever, Serena. Bye."

Brows snapped together, she threw her phone into her bed and with satisfaction watched as it hastily skipped across the mattress. How dare he do this! Why wouldn't they be living together? A year ago they were, so why wouldn't they now? He took all of their stuff with him and furnished his new place with their belongings, stuff she helped pay for, and now he doesn't know if he wants her living there?! Scoffing, she violently threw herself back into her pillows, trying not to let the angering thoughts take over the joy of her accomplishment. She would talk to him again about it once they both calmed down.

#

For weeks it was nothing but fighting. Cruel, spiteful, under-your-skin fighting.

It was crystal clear: Darien did not want Serena to live with him, and she wasn't backing down. They had been together for three years and lived together for one. There was no reason why they should be moving backwards.

The past week, though, he began avoiding her calls. When he would answer, they were brief and excluded any emotion. However, time was closing in and she needed to finalize her plans to move. Serena stared at her phone and was anxious; she needed to talk to him without a fight. She needed to know what was going on with their future. Nerves rattled, she picked up her phone and dialed his number.

"Darien?" she quietly said when he answered. "We need to talk."

"I know," he sighed.

"I don't want to fight with you, but please, I need to know what's going on." Serena looked around her room at her belongings, hoping that they would be boxed up and ready to move by week's end. There was a long stretch of silence. "Darien?"

"Serena, I…" he let out a deep sigh. "Serena, don't think this is going to work out."

"Darien," she meekly replied. "I don't understand this. We lived together before, why wouldn't we now?"

"I don't mean living together, Serena. I mean us."

Her eyes widened as thousands of needles pricked her skin. "Wait, what?" Where did this come from?

"These last few weeks we've been fighting so much about us living together. It made me realize that I'm not ready for this," he explained.

"Darien if it's this big of a deal we don't have to, I'll get my own place, Darien please think about what you're saying!" Serena hastily said. She was losing him, and she was panicking.

"No, Serena. Please, when we were home in Columbus it was different. But coming out here alone made me change. I need to continue to grow out here, Serena, and not be tied down by my roots."

"But Darien –"

"Serena, I met someone."

Quickly, Serena disconnected the phone and threw it as if it was a disease-ridden creature. She didn't just hear that. No, there is no way this would happen. Darien wouldn't meet someone else, not when she was transferring up there to be with him. No. Darien couldn't, he wouldn't. Her stomach knotted as tears surfaced. Shaking her head, she swallowed back the sob etched in her throat and picked up her phone, calling him back. He answered.

"Serena…"

Words betrayed her. She sat there holding the phone up to her ear, waiting for him to say something, anything, that would take back the words he just said. But nothing came but bittersweet confirmation.

"I'm sorry, Serena."

"Darien, no…" She finally sobbed, her heart crumbling as he said goodbye to her. She keeled over and held onto the phone, clutching the silent device. She rolled over into her pillow as she bellowed sobs of anguish, having no idea where to go from here. She was ready to follow him across the world, and all he gave her was a phone call goodbye.

#

An obnoxious buzzing awoke Serena out of a deep sleep. After her mind finally registered it was her phone ringing, she frantically grabbed it and looked at the caller I.D., silently praying it was Darien. Instead, she was greeted by an unfamiliar number. Usually she let unknown numbers go right to voicemail, but she shrugged and accepted the call.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Good afternoon, is this Serena Tsukino?"

"Yes, this is. May I ask who is calling?"

"Of course, my name is Jacob Marceu and I work at DFW Jones in Toronto, Ontario. You had uploaded your resume to a job-search website that we happened to come across and review. Our management team is very interested in meeting with you," the gentlemen briefly synopsized.

"O-oh," she said, caught off-guard, "Of course."

"I see that you live in the states, in Ohio. Would a computer interview work out better for you? We can arrange to have that set-up as early as tomorrow morning," Mr. Marceu suggested.

"Yes, that would be great," she replied. As the two of them exchanged emails and conferencing I.D.'s, she couldn't help but be baffled by this random opportunity. Truth be told, she had forgotten she uploaded her resume for financial analyst positions; she had done so in case she was not accepted into the University program. But since she had been, she completely dismissed the idea of work.

She hung up the phone and stared at it. Hours ago the chapter of her love life slammed shut, and yet minutes ago a new one had the potential to begin.

#


	2. Chapter 1

_Five years later_

Serena smiled as she spun around in her office chair, giggling as she drank in the sites of her new, large, window office. After years of hard work, long hours, night school, and virtually no social life, she finally was promoted to a senior financial analyst at DFW Jones.

"Someone seems happy!" Serena looked up to see her co-worker and friend, Seiya Kou, standing in her doorway. She tossed him a lopsided grin.

"Extremely!" she exclaimed. "It's amazing having something to stare at besides gray fabric walls, how can I not be? I mean, look, I have a window!" She stood out of her chair and walked over to the large glass panels. Bay Street was full of people walking around and the streets were full of clustered cars. She loved the energy Toronto provided and the constant motion of life all around her. It was certainly more exhilarating than Ohio.

Seiya sauntered over to her and looked out as well. "Soon this window will be your enemy when you can actually see the darkness and you're still working. At least the cubicles provided a façade that it might still be light out," he chuckled.

"Oh hush you," she said as she elbowed him. Seiya was a few years older than her and was promoted to senior analyst the year prior, but for the previous four years they were cubical neighbors. Seiya had a whimsical sense of humor that could break a poker face, yet he was extremely smart and excelled in mathematics and could mentally solve complicated equations. It was he who took her under his wing and introduced her to the trendy areas of the city, friends, and gems of the city. He moved from a small town in Japan to Toronto when he was young, so he understood the feeling of feeling lost in unfamiliar city life.

"So we're going out to celebrate tonight, right?" he asked, "because I've got Kenny, Lita, Molly, and Mel on standby to hit Club Nine."

"Oh my gosh that sounds so good," she replied, "but we can all go home and change first I hope? Because no way in Hell am I showing up to Nine in a business suit. That might work for you, but I need something that's celebratory!"

"Nope, you need to go in your pantsuit, I don't need you attracting hot men tonight," he winked flirtatiously. She shoved back at him, a blush creeping on their face. Right before Seiya was promoted there was something beginning between them, but in lieu of his management level they hit the pause button. She shoved him again before laughing it off.

"Let me walk home and change and I'll meet everyone there. What time?" Serena had a small apartment above a restaurant on a quiet side street off of Bay, probably a ten-block walk from the office.

"I'll save us a table for 8, how does that sound?" Seiya asked as he pulled out his phone.

"Amazing. I can't tell you the last time I went out on a Friday night!" she exclaimed, already thinking of what to wear. She usually was here late on Friday's and sometimes on Saturday's with the promotion looming. But now that the chase for the position was over, she could actually resume a social life.

"I know, workaholic. Sheesh, you would think you're me or something," he laughed as he began to walk out of her office. "8 sharp, don't be late, and damn it, I expect you to not look gorgeous tonight." He gave a fake stern look at her before laughing as he walked away.

She smiled as she looked back out the window, staring at the people rushing down the crowded sidewalks. Tourists, families, couples, and businessfolk herded together as they crossed the roads, spilling outside of the thickly painted white lines. Walking during rush hour was almost as dangerous as driving, the combination of walkers, bikers, and drivers creating an ugly flow of traffic. Grabbing her coat and bag, she made her way off of the tenth floor and out to the chilling October air. Merging in with the people of the streets, she gleefully walked amongst the crowds and onto her apartment.

About fifteen minutes later, Serena was turning onto Elm and began to ascend her stairway when she peered into the window of the small bistro she lived above. There was a couple, both probably close to her age, sitting next to the window. He was holding her hand and gently stroking his thumb against her knuckles, and she was looking at him in a way that Serena could only remember looking at one man with. Swallowing hard, she pushed aside the dull ache in her heart for him as she detached her gaze from the lovely couple.

After she made her way up the narrow stairwell, she unlocked and opened the door to reveal her small studio apartment. It wasn't much, but it was all she could afford when she first relocated. But now that she was making more and the firm generously compensated her tuition upon her completion of her Master's, maybe she would look into getting a nicer, larger place. She intended to place roots here and had no desire to move back home to the States.

Darien. Five years later his rejection still stung her. She could never fully commit to another person after he broke her heart. She was trying to with Seiya, but even with him she couldn't fully do it. She had told herself originally that Seiya's promotion is why they never moved forward, but in reality she couldn't do it, not while Darien's memory still loomed.

Serena sauntered over to her closet and pulled out a shoebox, carefully handling it as she laid it on the bed. She lifted off the top and stared at its contents; items from a past that had a completely different future attached to it. Pictures of a couple in love, keys from their first apartment, cards and love notes he left her, and pieces of jewelry she couldn't bear to wear, but couldn't discard of. Sadly, she skimmed through the contents, saddened by the memories of what could have been. She briefly closed her eyes; last she knew he was in a relationship with a girl named Raye. She was a dentist, and she was beautiful with ebony black hair and porcelain skin. They had taken pictures together on some beach, and that was as far as she got before she clicked out of her profile page. After that night four years ago, she never went and looked up Darien Shields again. She couldn't handle the pain of knowing that the someone else he left her for turned into something more.

Serena replaced the lid on the shoebox and slowly walked over to her closet. She knew she should get rid of the memories, but she couldn't let go of it. Moving to another country and going down a whole different path couldn't stop her heart from loving him, even though he ended it. She sighed as she slid the box into the back corner of the closet. Perhaps someday soon she could part with the memories of him, and maybe any day the true love of her life would sweep her off her feet. But in five years she had yet to find him, and now that she was approaching 27 she almost wondered if she ever would.

Pushing off her saddening thoughts, she mustered up some glee into sorting through her closet for an outfit to wear. Perhaps tonight she would find someone who could make her love again. Serena pulled out a sequined fitted dress and slid it off the hanger and over her body, the material hugging her curves. She adjusted the sleeves, as they fell off the shoulders, and slid on a pair of nude pumps. She quickly retouched her makeup and her hair, grabbed her clutch, and hailed a cab out for Club Nine. She wasn't going to let a temporary moment of sadness ruin her promotional celebration. Damn it, she was going to have fun!

#

Serena laughed as she took another sip of her martini, her third one of the night. Everyone at the table was cutting loose and kicking them back, and she wasn't going to be shy about it. It had been far too long since she had a night with friends.

"Ohhh no!" Serena mock protested as Seiya walked over with a tray of a dozen or so shots of tequila. She squealed as she took one and haphazardly clanked glasses with her friends before shooting the liquor back. Seiya motioned for everyone to take another, which everyone obliged, and they all laughed and sputtered about how strong the drink was. Moments later the lights dimmed as the DJ approached the booth and began to play his set, resulting in the group going out to the dance floor.

Serena threw her head back and let the thumping of the music take over; it had been a long time since she danced at a club. She lifted her arms over her head and twisted her body to the beat, standing alongside Molly, Lita and Kenny as they danced as feverishly as she. It was a few tracks into the set before she felt Seiya's hand on her back, a drink in his hand for her and smile on his face.

"Having fun?!" he shouted over the music, which resulted in a grin and nodding her head as she turned back to the music. Seiya was about to walk away when she grabbed onto his shirt. "Dance with me!" she ordered, pulling him closer than she had meant to. He obliged and danced alongside her, expertly swaying to the music. She smiled at the memories of clubbing together; he knew of all the great spots in town with the best DJ's and they always had a blast. It was amazing being back out on the dance floor with him again.

Soon she finished and discarded the drink he brought over for her. Everyone in their group began to drunkenly disperse into their own worlds as the club filled up with more people. Serena and Seiya were pretty much alone and heavily intoxicated as they swayed with each other on the dance floor, looking more like lovers than friends as they danced along to the music. It wasn't before long when Seiya's fingers raked through her hair and he brought her in for a kiss.

Her eyes had widened at first, but she quickly fluttered them closed and kissed him back, allowing him to deepen it. She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed into him, savoring the moment. They broke the kiss momentarily to continue dancing, but they would connect again and again as they slid their bodies against each other, lost in the beat and each other's touch.

The effects of alcohol eventually began to wear off and the patrons of the club began to leave, resulting in the group slowly making their way back over to the table. They shared a few more laughs before they said their goodbyes. Serena made her way outside to hail a cab, still pretty intoxicated, but deliriously happy. When the taxi pulled up, she opened the door and slid into the back, but before she could give the driver her address she was soon joined by Seiya. He pulled her on top of him and gave her yet another deep, passionate kiss. She giggled in response and accepted the act, breaking the kiss so he could tell the cab driver his address. As the car pulled out into the road the two of them continued what they started in the bar, only the confined space allowed them to become more intimate. He ran his hands up her thighs as she raked her fingers in his hair while rocking against what she could feel was his hardening member.

The taxi driver pulled up to Seiya's complex and they carelessly fell out of the car after Seiya tossed some cash at the driver. They haphazardly made their way over to his townhouse and after fiddling with the key in the lock, they fell through the doorway. Once the door clicked shut behind them, Seiya shucked his coat off, grabbed Serena hand and pulled her into him. She lazily fell into him, giggling, and they proceeded to explore each other's mouths even further, stumbling over to his stairs. They broke contact to ascend the stairwell, but soon resumed once they reached his bedroom area. After heated moments, Serena stopped and looked at Seiya. As he stared back at her, all she saw was the one thing she yearned for hours ago when she rifled through her box of memories. She stood in front of him and allowed him to slip the dress off of her, exposing her body to him, and then fell under the spell of intoxication, lust and desire as he pulled her onto the bed.

#

Serena slowly opened her eyes, annoyed that the leftover mascara made the task already more challenging. She already knew that she wasn't in her bed; the firm mattress and unfluffy pillow covered in drool was a dead giveaway. She sat up gingerly and looked around, clutching to the blanket to cover herself. Seiya was nowhere to be found. She sighed and fell back into the pillow; she hadn't meant to take it this far. Even during the period of time when they might have become something they never came close to sleeping together. Clearly the combination of hard liquor and her pining clouded her judgment.

Deciding not to postpone the awkward confrontation any longer, Serena slipped out of bed and slid on Seiya's discarded shirt and combed her fingers through her blonde hair. She grimaced at the leftover makeup patched on her face before rubbing some of it away. Taking a deep breath, she descended the stairwell and was greeted to Seiya's back in the kitchen. He must have heard her because he turned around, causing her to gasp. In all the years she knew him, she never really saw him in something besides suits or polos and Dockers. He was wearing a fitted tanktop and a pair of sweatpants that hung deliciously on his hips, his hair unruly and not in its usual ponytail and the slightest bit of stubble. She felt the blush creep up on her and he tossed her a goofy grin.

"So, yeah, if you want to stay here forever and come downstairs looking like that every morning, I would be quite ok with that because, damn, that's hot," he teased.

"Seiyaaaa," she wined in embarrassment. She walked over to the breakfast bar and put her hands on her forehead, rubbing her temples.

"Here, for the headache." He placed a couple of aspirin and a glass of water in front of her, which she happily accepted and immediately took. Momentarily a plate of bacon was placed next to the now-empty glass and her mouth watered. "And of course, we're going to need some extra greasy hangover food if we're going to talk about last night," he added once he placed the plate in front of her. Not wasting any time, she took a piece and bit into it, enjoying its salty, greasy flavors. She could already feel the pounding subsiding as he placed another plate beside her of pancakes.

"Dang, you made my favorite hangover concoction here," she said as she grabbed another piece of bacon, "and I never knew you could cook. It's pretty good."

"Thanks," he smiled as he handed her a plate. "I usually don't get the chance to cook except on the weekends, but it's definitely one of my favorite things to do." She smiled at his admission and helped herself to some pancakes. Luckily, he already knew that she loved to eat and was not shy about it, so why start now? She doused a couple of pancakes in syrup and dug in, quietly indulging in the delicious meal. Once their plates were empty, he cleared them and replaced it with a cup of coffee, another favorite that she happily accepted. She raised the mug up to her lips and took in a lengthy sip; she could feel her headache diminishing, meaning that it was time to have the night-after talk. She looked at him bashfully; he looked almost just as uncomfortable, but at the same time he looked calm about it. She shifted nervously.

"So," she started, "last night."

"Yeah, last night," he echoed.

"I haven't had that much to drink in a long time, I swear I'm becoming a lightweight," she lightly joked. He awkwardly laughed back; the tension was starting to thicken and she became even more uncomfortable. She was about to say something else, but Seiya beat her to it.

"Look, Sere, I'm just going to come out and say it. I've liked you for years, and I know you felt the same at one point. My promotion did come at a poor time and I know we hit the brakes, but I never, ever stopped caring about you. So when we went out last night and you pulled me on that dance floor, I couldn't help but cave into it. So do I regret last night? No, I don't, not at all. But, if you want to pretend it didn't happen and go back to being friends, I can probably do that. I'd rather not and I would much rather repeat it over and over again, but I respect you, especially since you just got promoted and I know you're so career driven. So you tell me what you want, and I'll honor it."

As Serena listened to Seiya's admission, she couldn't help but feel her resolve melt away. The fact that he was willing to go back to being friends and forgetting this ever happened was amazing, but what got her was that he said he respected her and her career. Suddenly, she couldn't think of a reason why she shouldn't be with him. Sure, they worked together, but they had mutual friends, they weren't each other's superior in the office, and they clearly had chemistry. She took another sip of her coffee before placing the mug down on the bar. Boldly, she slipped off the chair and walked over to him. She could feel him profiling her, lazily draped in his button down with nothing underneath. In that moment she could feel desire emitting from him, and once she approached him, she slid her arms around his neck and smiled up at him.

"I think," she started slowly, "that we should finally give this a shot, and see what happens. I don't want to lose our friendship, and I don't want things to spread at work, but if you're willing to try this then I am, too."

Seiya responded by giving her a smile and circling his arms around her waist and for a few moments, the two of them stood there. On one hand Serena was happy; she was taking another step forward in her life by taking on a new relationship. Who knew, maybe it would go somewhere; Seiya was a good man, he was one of her best friends. But in that moment when she smiled back at him and stared into his royal blue eyes, a pair of rich, smoky blue ones flashed in her mind.

#

"Let me take you to dinner tonight," the voice on the line coaxed.

It had been a few hours since Seiya dropped her off at home. She certainly didn't feel like walking home in a sequined dress and heels in broad daylight and for once allowed him to drive her home. She laughed at his proposition. "You just saw me a few hours ago!"

"Yeah, true, but is it so bad I want to see you again?" he retorted. "Come on, I'll take you out to a nice restaurant with real food to celebrate, no bar snacks and hard liquor. Ok, maybe some liquor, but not copious amounts." She laughed again at his persistence.

"Ok, ok, fine. You win," she replied. "But I highly doubt any liquor will be entering my system tonight, I feel like my body is in a state of shock from all the tequila and vodka I consumed last night."

"Ok fine, I won't slip you any martinis again, although I must say that me giving you that one last night did get us into this awesome predicament we're in now," he teased. "Let me pick you up at 8."

"Aw man, come on, can't we walk somewhere? There's only another month before the weather turns sour!" she protested. He knew she loved walking everywhere and constantly teased her for it, but she couldn't help it! There was something about being one of the thousands of people on the city streets that made her feel like she truly was a part of this city, not a girl from a small town in Ohio.

"Alright, fine, I'll swing by your place at 7:30 then. Maybe we can go to that place below your apartment? From what I recall their food is pretty good," he suggested.

Serena's smile strained, but she quickly relaxed. "Sure, that would be great. It's Italian in case you couldn't remember."

"That's right! Ok, perfect, I'll see you then!" With that they exchanged their goodbyes and disconnected.

Home alone with her thoughts, Serena sighed for probably the fiftieth time since she got here. Her conscious was at war with her; while her mind and body said that this was a good idea, her heart was protesting it. Serena grumbled; it's been five years since Darien left her, and she couldn't figure out why she continued to hold a torch for him. It bugged her; Seiya was the first man she had been intimate since Darien. Anytime she thought about cutting back and getting wild with someone it was the memory of Darien's tantalizing touch that kept her from falling over that edge. He was her first, she thought he would be her last. How she went so far deep last night as to actually sleep with Seiya baffled her. She was a little disappointed for letting her resolve fade, but then she thought back to the admission she made last night. She wanted to move on, she wanted to find love, and from the hazy memories, she saw something last night that was enough for her to succumb to him.

She sighed for the nth time and ran her fingers through her bangs. There was nothing wrong with moving on. Darien wasn't coming back. He didn't come for her in the last five years, why would he suddenly now?

As she wrapped up her thoughts, she wiped away the tears that had escaped. She decided right then and there that those would be the last tears she would ever cry for Darien Shields. He didn't want her then, he didn't want her now, and it was time to move on.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Congratulations!" firm members ringed in unison as they held up their glasses. Serena blushed at the public display of attention directed at her, but she also relished in it. She looked up at Seiya who smiled back at her as he raised his glass alongside hers, grinning proudly.

"Thank you everyone!" he boasted thankfully before taking a sip of his champagne. Serena followed suit and sipped the sweet sparkling drink. It wasn't before long that coworkers and friends swarmed her, poking at details about her upcoming nuptials.

It had been two years since Serena and Seiya became official, about a year since they went public at the office, and two weeks since Seiya proposed to her. Mina, one of Serena's close friends at the firm, yanked her hand to flash everyone her engagement ring, a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs" ringing as they stared at the platinum band holding a 2-carat diamond.

"It's so beautiful!" Mina squeaked. "I wish Malachite would propose to me with this!"

"It's huge! And is that white gold or platinum?!" another woman piped up.

"I'm pretty sure that's platinum!" someone assumed correctly.

"Damn, now THAT'S a rock!" another girl chimed in.

Serena laughed as she pulled her hand back, slightly embarrassed at people calculating the worth of her ring. Truth be told, it was much larger than she would have ever expected and she pointed that out to him, but he quickly dismissed it by telling her that the amount of the ring didn't come close in worth than she did to him. That very quickly shut any further arguments down about it, but she couldn't help but be modest. She never wore flashy items, so women flocking to admire her jewelry was foreign to her.

For the next few hours the couple talked with coworkers, supervisors and partners of the firm before the crowd dwindled. Serena and Seiya soon bid their goodbyes and left, going back to his place. Once they arrived, he lovingly pulled her into him and gave her a passionate kiss.

"I can't wait until we get to do this every day," he murmured against her lips in between kisses.

She laughed in response and kissed him again. "Only another week," she added before she pressed her body against him further. After months of urging, Serena finally accepted Seiya's plea for her to move into his townhouse. Now that they were engaged, she couldn't find a reason not to. She loved her small apartment that was home for seven years, but Seiya's place was much larger for them to live in together. She already spent most of her time here and began to add a few of her touches to the once bachelor pad, but next Saturday she would be moving in permanently. The thought of it excited her, and in response she ran her fingers through his hair. Seiya kissed her feverishly and swept her in his arms, making his way to the stairwell as he carried her upstairs. Once in his room, he gently laid her down on the bed and descended on her, and with open arms she accepted him, passionately and full of love.

As Seiya unzipped her dress and she fumbled with his tie, she couldn't imagine anything being more perfect. He was passionate and delicate with her, made her feel safe and loved and when they entered the bedroom he made her feel like a Goddess. She rose up from the bed and slipped the dress off of her, revealing her curves and flat abdomen. Seiya slid his hands up her body and stared up at her with hooded eyes.

"How did I get so damn lucky?" he said before he hastily grabbed her and tossed her on the bed. She squealed with delight as he mounted himself above her before she was lost in pleasure.

#

Serena propped herself against Seiya's chest as she took a bite of her pizza, enjoying some quality reality TV time. She knew Seiya couldn't stand watching Amazing Race, but it was a guilty pleasure of hers and on a night like tonight, where she could relax and indulge, it was one of her top priorities. Luckily Seiya didn't complain too much about it, especially since he loved to have sports networks on every Sunday.

"So, I was thinking," Seiya began when a commercial break aired, "about where we should get married."

Serena lifted herself off of him and turned to face him, interested in what he had to say. In fact, they hadn't talked a single wedding detail yet; she had been too preoccupied with getting her apartment situated and moving details to even think about planning a wedding.

"Do you want to get married back at your hometown?" he asked. "I don't really have family here besides my parents so I would be OK with that."

Serena smiled at his kindness, but she had no desire whatsoever to get married back home in Ohio. Getting married back home meant inviting family and friends, and knowing her parents, a lot of family friends would be invited, meaning the Shields'. No way in Hell did she want to see his parents at her wedding, no way. She shook her head, "that's sweet of you, but I don't really think a wedding back home is something I want." She could tell Seiya was surprised at her response. She paused for a moment. "What do you think about doing a destination wedding? You have family all over the world, mine are in the States, and we're in Canada. Let's go somewhere and go a vacation getaway and invite anyone who wants to pay their own way. I think that could be really nice!"

Serena watched Seiya's facial expressions as he pondered her suggestion. "That's actually not a bad idea," he responded.

"We could go somewhere like Hawaii or Cabo or the Caribbean; how much fun would that be?!" The more Serena thought about it, the more excited she became.

"Ok babe, that sounds like a plan. Let's start looking into it in the coming weeks once we get you all situated here," he concluded before grabbing another slice of pizza. Happily, Serena leaned back into his chest; not only did it sound like a beautiful idea, but she would be far away from the place she once dreamt she would marry someone else. No way was she going to ruin her special day with a memory of him.

#

_Monday_

Sitting in front of her computer, Serena rubbed her temples before looking down at the computer clock; 6:45. Her eyes were beginning to water from staring at the screen for so long, and yet she still was analyzing and crunching numbers that were not working in her favor. Grumbling, she pushed herself away from the screen and looked out at the window; the October night had started to loom, the sun long gone behind the buildings. She turned and looked out to the cubicles and saw most of her coworkers had left. She sighed and looked back at her screen before making the decision to shut it down. There was no way she was going to solve this tonight, she was in dire need of a mental break.

Serena stood up and stretched out before walking over to her doorway. She peered down the hallway to see Seiya's light still on, and made her way to his office. Rasping on his doorframe, she walked in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. He looked just as drained as she did.

"This guy is going to be the death of me," Seiya grimaced as he looked up at her from the various papers sprawled on his desk.

"Seems we're in the same state of mind, except I've decided to shut down. How much longer are you sticking around?"

"At least another hour," he shrugged. "You're leaving? If you stick around we can go home together."

Serena shook her head. "Nah, I only have one week left at my place; walking home this week will be nice and nostalgic." She sadly smiled upon her realization; no longer would she be in walking distance to her home.

"Ok babe, if you wish," he said before rubbing his eyes. "Do you want me to come by or something after I am done here?"

She shook her head again. "I have some stuff I still need to get squared away and packed up if I'm going to be all set for Saturday, so it's probably best if for the week I focus on that."

"So I don't get to see you for a week?!" Seiya mock pouted. She laughed in response.

"Oh please, you see me every day here. You just won't see me in private," she giggled. He groaned in response. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder!" She stood up and walked over to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll talk to you later?"

"You sure know how to cut me deep, babe," he mocked before looked back at his paperwork. She left him with his thoughts and returned to her office to collect her coat and bag. Before she shut off her office light, she took one last peek outside; from the looks of it, it was going to storm, and any moment.

After taking the elevator to the lobby, Serena pushed through the large glass windows and was greeted with a sharp chill and lingering of sprinkling raindrops. She shuddered as she pushed into the crowds, all of which were in a hurry to get out of the impending storm. She huffed as she clutched on to her briefcase and purse, eager to weave through the crowds in hopes of getting back to her place dry. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side; a wave of cold rain dropped down on the crowds, causing an eruption of a groan as umbrellas, briefcases, and newspapers hoisted into the air in hopes of shielding various pedestrians.

Resulting what felt like a long, icy cold walk, Serena finally approached her street. Of course she was drenched and frowned at the thought of not taking a warm, dry taxi. "At least I'm home now," she quickly thought, dismissing the annoyance of being damp. As she approached her stoop, she saw someone leaning against the building under the awning. As she approached the stairwell, she was about to walk past him when she hesitantly stopped.

After seven years, she still could recognize his build, his posture, his face, and those eyes.

"Darien?" she whispered hesitantly as she stared at the man. He straightened in response and looked back at her, causing her to gasp.

"Hello, Serena."

#

It felt like her airways had been shut off, but she had finally mustered enough speech to invite him inside to dry off. He accepted and followed her in, and she couldn't help but be very aware of his presence near her. She shuddered; why on earth was he here?

She grabbed a few towels out of a box and offered him one, which he accepted as he began to dry himself off. She watched as he delicately ran the towel over his face, the towel lowering from his brow, over the bridge of his nose, to his lips, and then glided over his chiseled chin. Even after seven years, he looked exactly the same way she recalled in her memories. He slid the towel up to his hair and began to ruffle it, his ebony hair sticking out in sexy spikes. Shaking off the last thought, she dug for some courage to speak to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked a little too bluntly. "In Toronto?" she quickly added. He didn't seem to notice.

"I'm up here through Friday for a conference down at the Westin," he replied, looking down at her. "I thought that since I was in the area that I would look you up and see how you are."

"Ah," she replied. "That's interesting." Silence loomed over the two of them again, and Serena was at a loss for words. She had no idea what to even say to him, let alone act around him.

"How have you been?" he finally asked, looking around her place. "Moving?"

She nodded in response. "Yes, at the end of the week."

"Congratulations," he replied. "It looks like you're doing well for yourself," he added. She tossed him a smile.

"Yes, very well. How about you?" She walked over to the couch and sat down, gesturing him to follow suit. He obliged and sat opposite of her.

"Very good, thank you. I completed my residency and decided to stay on at the hospital in Syracuse. It's been hectic, but I really do enjoy it. I've been working in the pediatrics department," he said.

"Wow, that's amazing," Serena replied.

"Yes, it's challenging, very difficult at times, but overall rewarding," he said. "But what about you? Last I knew you worked at a financing company."

"Yes," she answered, "I work at DFW Jones; I'm a senior financial analyst. Hard work and long hours, but I love it."

"That's impressive," he replied.

"Thank you."

Another silence loomed over them momentarily before Darien spoke. "You cut your hair."

She nodded as she touched the base of her neck, the stands of the long bob of blonde hair still sticking to it. "Yes, I did."

"It's strange seeing you without your long hair," he admitted.

"I needed a change, long hair was too challenging to take care of working long, late hours," she lamented.

"Ah."

"Yeah."

Another awkward silence began, and Serena began to feel irritated. Why did he have to come here? Why did he have to point out her hair? He always loved her long hair and constantly commented on it, and of course he had to go and point it out. Suddenly she felt herself outburst. "Why are you here, Darien? I mean, here, with me, not in the city. Why did you decide after seven years of silence to finally talk to me?"

"Serena, I –" he began.

"No, this isn't right, Darien. You stand on my doorstep, you tell me you wanted to look me up, you tell me I'm doing well for myself, and I'm supposed to just sit here and be chummy with you?" Anger began to course through her veins, anger she didn't know she was still holding on to. While he flashed in to her memories over the last two years occasionally, she was able to dismiss them quickly with thoughts of Seiya. Aside from little things, she thought she finally had escaped the hold of him. But here he was, sitting here, those hypnotic eyes staring into her. She shifted uncomfortably as he looked at her, unable to read his expression.

Finally, after moments of silence, he stood up.

"I'm here because I love you, Serena. I love you and I never stopped, and I am here to get you back."

#


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Serena was dumbstruck. Darien had just told her he still loved her. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She had no idea what to even say.

"Darien…" was all she could muster. He knelt down in front of her, looked up at her and ran his long fingers through her damp hair.

"The last seven years I have been going crazy without you. I thought I didn't need you, and I thought I needed to establish myself out in Syracuse by myself. I thought you would still go out there and go to school, and we would find each other and I could win you back somehow, someway. But then I learned you moved and left the country. I didn't know how to act or what to do. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, so I tried to move on. And I did, or so I thought. But the last six months all I could think about was your smile, your scent, your laugh. And I tried to tell myself I was fine without you, but then this seminar came up and I jumped on it. I needed to find you, see you, and tell you that I am not leaving here without a fight for you."

Tears slipped out. For years she waited for this declaration of love, hearing that he wanted her and loved her, and now that it had happened she didn't know what to do with it.

She could feel her face scrunch in pain. The words tasted like poison in her mouth. For so long she wanted to say something, anything to him. Anything but this:

"I'm getting married," she whispered.

Darien quickly disentangled his hands and stood back up. The look on his face nearly crushed her, and a sob escaped her throat.

"I should have known," he said as he looked around her place. "You're moving in with him."

She nodded slowly. He turned his back to her and made his way to his coat.

"I understand. I won't bother you again, I'm sorry that I interrupted your life out here," he quietly stated.

Suddenly panic arose in her, and as he opened the door to leave she ran up to him and clung on to him. He stopped in his tracks and for a moment, time stood still. She closed her eyes and blueprinted everything about him in this moment, knowing that this would be the last time she would ever see, feel, touch, smell him again. Her heart was breaking in those last moments, but as she went to loosen her grip around him, he turned around. Their faces were mere inches from each other, she could feel his breath as hers becoming jagged.

Their lips touched. He pressed herself against him, and in that moment she lost all sense of everything but Darien. It was a familiar taste that she yearned for, craved, and she couldn't stop herself. She leaned into him and he wrapped his fingers into her hair again, the pressure between them intensifying as he pressed her closer into him. Tears slipped out, the beads of reality crashing her back down. She pushed him off of her and wiped at her eyes.

"Go," she whispered. He couldn't be here. He needed to disappear again, or else she would do something stupid. She knew she would, and she hated herself for it. "You need to go," she said with more command.

Darien looked at her with challenging eyes. "Why?"

"Because, Darien, this isn't right, I can't do this to him," she stammered out, feeling repulsed by her actions. She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. "I can't see you again. I can't kiss you again. You need to go. Now."

"This isn't over, Serena," he coolly challenged. With that he turned around and walked out the door, it softly clicking behind him. Her knees finally gave out as she collapsed to the floor, her mind rattled, her body shaken, and her heart pounding.

An hour later, Serena sat on her couch starring at her boxes around the apartment. Just mere hours ago she had intended to continue her packing venture, getting everything ready to begin yet another new milestone with Seiya. She was happy about it, too. She was going to be moving in with the man she was in love with, the man she had vowed to be true and faithful to for eternity. And within a half hour of a blast from the past, it unraveled.

Five years ago had this happened she probably would have fell back into his arms and let him whisk her away back to their hometown. She would have been able to pretend like nothing ever happened. But it wasn't just about her anymore. She had to think of Seiya; if he found out she kissed her ex mere weeks after their engagement and days before moving in together, he would definitely be hurt by it. If the roles were reversed she would be crushed. She felt disgusted with herself. Why couldn't she just let him walk out of her life again? He did it once before and she survived. Had she let him, it would have been because of her moving on.

She bit the side of her lip; she never stopped to think in all the years of justifying and longing for him that he left her because of what she represented in his mind. In fact, he pretty much said he didn't want to be tied down to his roots when they first broke up, and in his little speech earlier he said he had expected her to still follow him out there. She frowned; was she that desperate? Did he really think she would just move to another state and live her life in his shadows until he was ready? She sneered at the thought and stood up. No, she was better than that. She moved here because of an amazing opportunity, and she made it by herself out here. She wasn't anyone's second choice, she was someone's first and only choice. Seiya wanted her, all of her, for everything she was. Serena stared down at her ring, the very symbol of his love and commitment winking back at her. She loved Seiya, and she was sure of it. She would not let a moment of weakness paralyze her from moving forward with him.

Serena stood up and walked over to the cluster of items needed to be boxed up. Gently, she lifted up a pile of blankets and placed them in an empty box, followed by other trinkets and momentous she intended to bring with her. One kiss from Darien wasn't going to change anything, she decided.

As she finished her thought, though, her lips tingled in delirious desire.

#

_Tuesday_

"You never answered my calls!" a voice broke her train of thought. Serena looked up to see Seiya standing in the doorway, looking mock-hurt holding his phone over his heart.

She tossed him a weak smile. "I'm sorry sweetie," she apologized. Truthfully, she had ignored them. She couldn't bring herself to talk to him without fear of admitting everything.

His goofy look suddenly changed to one of concern as he walked over to her. "Are you okay?" he asked, sitting across from her. "You look exhausted."

Not only couldn't she sleep last night, but she came in to the office at 6 in the morning to try and distract her mind from the prior night's memories. It had been working until then. "I couldn't sleep and thought I would come in and try to work on this project," she meekly replied. Thankfully, he understood sleepless nights because of frustrating work and seemed to buy it.

"Don't stress yourself out too much, ok? Do you want me to get you coffee or something? I'm running out to get some in a few," he offered.

"Actually, that sounds amazing. Thank you," she said. He smiled back at her and walked out of the office. She sighed and stared back at her work, hoping that she could get lost in numbers and percentiles again, at least until he came back with some caffeine for her.

Another hour passed by and Seiya kindly dropped off her favorite cinnamon latte at her desk. She graciously accepted and downed it, focused in her work. She stared at the paperwork, feverishly writing out numbers and plugging them into her computer system. Finally, she was getting somewhere. She leaned back in her chair and happily sighed. Pleased at her progress, she pulled out another stack of investment paperwork before a knock interrupted her flow. She scowled before she turned to the door, but it quickly dissolved as two dozen pink roses stood in her doorway.

"Now these are gorgeous," Mina exclaimed as she sauntered in to Serena's office with them. "About damn time Seiya sent you some flowers here!" she laughed. "Which, by the way, I snagged off the front desk when the flower guy dropped them off. I figured you'd rather someone who knows and understands the importance of love roses not being manhandled by the mail guys downstairs." Serena smiled and pulled out the little white card, reading the little love note she had assumed would be from Seiya.

_8:00pm tonight at the Westin bar. I need to see you._

Serena's eyes widened, but she quickly blinked her surprise away before putting the card face-down on her desk. Mina went to go read it, but Serena quickly snatched it away. She mumbled some lame excuse it was from a client thanking her for her work and tossed the card away. Luckily Mina seemed to buy it and didn't ask anything else, just continued to fawn over the flowers. Serena, however, felt lousy lying to yet another person this morning.

"Do you want them?" Serena asked Mina.

"Oh my gosh, you serious?" she asked as she reached for the vase.

Serena nodded. "My allergies have been acting up so it might be a good idea if they're not in here, ya know?" she sadly suggested. Pink roses were her favorite and it pained her to give them away.

"I think I can help you out with that," Mina happily replied as she whisked them off her desk and made her way to the doorway. "Thank you!"

"No problem, Min," Serena replied as she watched her practically skip away. When she was sure she was out of sight, Serena took another look at the card and shook her head. No, she wasn't going to meet him there, she reaffirmed before she tossed the card out. She looked back over to the mound of paperwork; suddenly she didn't feel so accomplished anymore.

#

Staying at work until 9:00 was a great idea, Serena decided, when she turned the light off in her office. No one was around, she finally completed her project, and was invited to a dinner meeting with her client tomorrow to discuss her work. Her hand itched to reach for her phone to call Seiya, but she shook her head. Usually when one of them completed a challenging client they would meet out for a celebratory drink, a tradition from many years ago, but she could feel the fatigue overtaking and calling him and then waiting for him to meet her out wouldn't be worth it. Her stomach, however, growled loudly, mentally reminding her she hadn't eaten since she shoved a sandwich in her mouth at noontime. Perhaps she could get Margie, the waitress at the café below her apartment, to package her up some pasta or something. She was starving.

Walking through the empty lobby, she waved goodbye to the guard and walked down the large stairs. Even at nighttime the city was full of people wandering, and she quickly merged in amongst the group of people. She took a few steps towards her place when she felt a hand grab her arm and pull her to the side. She almost screamed, but recognized him and snapped her brows together in anger.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" she seethed, looking at Darien. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"You didn't come," he said.

"Obviously!" she replied. "Again, what the hell do you think you are doing?!"

"I said I wanted to see you, and you weren't coming. So I figured I would stop by your place, but you weren't there, either. I was on my way back to the hotel when I saw you walk out of your office. You're avoiding me," he stated.

"Yes, of course I am!" she relayed.

"Why?" he challenged.

"Because, Darien, I have a life here, and I'll be damned if you interrupt it," she huffed and started to walk away. He grabbed her arm again and whirled her around, the two of them being mere inches apart. She stood her ground, however; while she was very aware of how close they were, she wasn't going to submit to him again.

"Can we go somewhere more private?" he asked her. She shook her head. "Why not?"

"I'm going home. I've been at work since 6 this morning, I am starving, and it's after 9! Go back to your hotel, Darien, and let me on my way." She took off, walking away from him, and this time he did not stop her. She fought the urge to look back, wondering if he was following her, but she refused; she was not going to let him think she was looking back to see if he would come after her. No way.

Suddenly, a drink didn't sound like such a bad idea, especially when she passed by her favorite Irish pub. She ducked in to the pub and made her way to the bar, placing her briefcase and coat underneath her stool. She smiled when the bartender greeted her, where she proceeded to order a beer and some mozzarella sticks. After he passed her a beer, she grabbed a couple of bar pretzels from the bowl and turned to focus on the TV.

"You know, you shouldn't eat those," a voice boomed from behind her.

"Damn it, Darien, why the hell are you following me?" she snapped, not even looking at him. She heard him slid onto the stool next to her, but she still refused to look his way. Instead she tauntingly bit into her pretzel followed by a long sip of her beer.

"I don't think I ever could have pictured you going alone into a bar," Darien thoughtfully said. He looked over to the bartender. "I'll have what she has."

"Ugh, seriously? You're staying?"

"Of course I am, I said I wanted to see you, so here I am," he replied.

"Stalker," she grumbled. She turned her attention once again to the TV, but she was flustered by him being here. They didn't exchange any words and she stayed determined to continue to watch the show and drink her beer. However, when her food came, she snarled as he stole one. "Those are mine," she pressed as he bit the end off of the mozzarella stick, the cheese seeping out.

"And it's oh so delicious," he replied in a snarky fashion. In response she moved the basket over to the left of her. "What, no marinara for me to dip it in?"

"You're an ass," she stated.

"Nothing's changed," he smiled at her as he finished the snack.

"Hmph," was all she could say before she bit in to the deep fried cheesy snack. Her resolve slightly melted away as she savored the food, her hunger taking over her senses. He must have noticed because he laughed.

"And clearly you haven't changed with your love of food," he pointed out. She frowned.

"Actually, Darien, I have changed quite a bit, thank you very much."

"How, by cutting your hair and going solo into a bar?" he asked before taking a sip of his beer.

"Actually, I've done quite a bit of changing by moving up here, thank you very much," she replied, grabbing at another cheese stick.

"Yeah? Tell me," he dared.

"I have financed my own apartment for seven years, I went to night school and completed my MBA, I am the only senior analyst under 30 in my firm, I have made some of the best friends ever out here, and, I drink beer now!" she concluded as she took a long sip of her beer. "And I think it's delicious!"

Darien burst into laughter. "That's right! You only drank froofy, fluffy drinks because you had just turned 21 and refused to even try a beer. I forgot all about that! My, my, I was wrong, you've become quite a cultured woman."

"Damn straight," she replied as she went to take another sip of her beer, but she couldn't help but smile into the glass. He was good at making her laugh, she had forgotten about that.

"So tell me, why didn't you include your fiancé in your list of accomplishments of change," he asked. She frowned.

"Because he's not an accomplishment, he's a person," she replied. "A good one at that."

"Uh huh," he said as he looked into his beer glass. "I think I'm going to order some more food. That was good."

She frowned at his quick dismissal of Seiya. As if right on cue, her phone started ringing, and Darien looked to her briefcase as if he was challenging her to look at it. She hesitated, but she grabbed her phone and answered the call.

"Hi, no I left not too long ago. Yeah, I just stopped in at Paddy's to grab a bite to eat. Nah I'm leaving shortly, I was just starving. Ok. You too. Yup. Goodnight." She quickly disconnected the call and slid the phone back into her briefcase.

"Aw, no I love you?" he mocked as he finished off his beer. Her brows snapped together in anger.

"That's none of your business," she coolly stated. "And on that note, I'm leaving." She stood up and tossed a couple of bills on the bar before sliding her coat on. "Goodnight, Darien," she stated as she grabbed her bag and walked out the bar.

She huffed as she walked down the sidewalk; how dare he call her out on anything having to do with Seiya! She was in a state beyond irritated. She quickly tossed a glance behind her and let out a sigh of relief when he wasn't behind her. However, the fatigue was back and she continued her quickened pace to get to her apartment.

Thankfully, the bar was only two blocks away from her apartment, so she ascended the stairwell and burst into her place, dropping in annoyance her belongings on the table next to the door before throwing herself on the couch. She sighed into it, frustrated, exhausted, and irritated. Why was he so persistent about seeing her? Why did she even entertain it as long as she did?

She yawned into the arm of the couch as her eyes began to close, thoughts of Darien plaguing her mind.

#


	5. Chapter 4

Hello everyone!

I thought I was about to go down the road of abandonment on this story. I read the reviews, and when a few people mentioned the direction of the story, it made me reconsider. I _was_ going down a psudo-desperate-romantic-road, and the more I returned to it to revise it, the more irritated I was that I couldn't find the words to turn it how I wanted to. Long story short, my writers block unlocked, and I think I finally have this going in the direction I want it to. So thank you for your patience, and please continue your feedback - it does NOT go unnoticed!

* * *

_Wednesday_

_#_

"I am so, so sorry babe, I wish I could come, you know I do, but I have my meeting tonight with Mr. Kraft," Seiya apologetically said to Serena, who pursed her lips in annoyance. Tonight was her dinner with her client, Ronald Jacobson, a real estate mongrel who had property all over Toronto. She had discovered that his finances were off by hundreds of thousands of dollars due to his wife – soon to be ex-wife – quietly transferring money out of his account into various others. Once she solved the riddle, he was beyond appreciative and insisted on taking her to dinner, along with her boss. Spouses were invited, but from this conversation it appeared she would be going solo.

"You can't postpone?" She already knew the answer; Arnold Kraft was an 85 year old man sitting on a ton of money he did absolutely nothing with, yet he was extremely meticulous with knowing all numbers and costs. Unfortunately for her, he took a trusting to Seiya, who had monthly meetings with him to update him on his status. He paid top dollar for Seiya's loyalty and on-demand presence, which frustrated them both but made their bosses quite happy.

"No, the first and last time I tried postponing with Kraft he called Greg, and then I got a lecture for at least an hour about proper client support and service expectations. I hate that I won't be there, more than you know," he said as he grabbed her hand, gently stroking her knuckles. She sighed.

"I know. The thought of going alone is bumming me out, though," she admitted.

"Why don't you bring someone from around here?" Seiya suggested. She shook her head.

"Nah, I don't want to bring someone and have it all awkward. It's alright, I'll deal with it," she shrugged. "Have you ever been to the Blue Room? That's where we're going."

Seiya whistled through his teeth. "Very nice place, extremely romantic. That Jacobson man better not be putting the moves on you there," he joked as he narrowed his eyes.

She lightly chuckled at his mock-jealousy. "Well considering that Greg and his wife are going, I think we're okay on that matter," she consoled. "Do you know where it is?"

"It's down on Queens Quay off of Younge. It's actually right by the Westin if that helps you out," Seiya recalled. Serena nearly choked; luckily, Seiya hadn't noticed.

"And you're positive you can't come?" she stressed, urgency suddenly pulsing through her.

"Tell you what, if my meeting with Kraft by some miracle ends early, I will call you. What time is the dinner?" Seiya asked as he pulled out his phone.

"7:30," she replied. She watched as Seiya flipped through his phone.

"My meeting is at 6:00 over in Bloomfield, so I will do my best to get to you by 7:30. Let's hope Kraft doesn't ask too many questions." Serena smiled in triumph.

"You have no idea how much this means to me," she said in relief. Seiya's smile perked at that.

"I'm happy to hear how much you want me there with you, so thank you," he replied. "But please don't hate me if I can't make it, because there is always that chance."

"I know, I know," she said, "I just appreciate that you're going to try."

Seiya stood up out of her visitors chair and straightened out his tie. "I'm going to go finish putting together his monthly statements. Do you want to grab lunch?" She nodded in reply. "I'll come get you at noontime." After their goodbyes, he left her office and she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"The last thing I need is to see him when I'm with my boss," she muttered as she turned her focus to her work. She would need to leave on time today if she was to get home, change, and make it to dinner, and her work pile was ever growing. She pressed her lips and reached for her first pile, eager to redirect her thoughts.

#

When Seiya said near the Westin, he left out quite an important detail: that it was located _in_ the Westin. Serena practically argued with the cab driver when he pulled in, but he insisted that she had arrived at the correct destination. Unfortunately, he was right. She grumbled in annoyance as she stood in the lobby, watching all the presumed doctors buzz through the area discussing whatever medical information they had just learned. Serena straightened out her black dress for the tenth time, eager for her boss and his wife to arrive. Greg had emailed her asking her to meet up in the lobby so they could all go up together, which she happily obliged. She didn't want to walk into such a restaurant unaccompanied. She did, however, arrive a half hour early, leaving her to stand and wait.

"Well, well, isn't this a surprise," she heard behind her. She squinted her eyes shut and felt her shoulders drop, knowing full well who found her. Sighing, she turned around to face him.

"It's not for you," she boldly stated. While her voice came out strong, she felt herself succumbing to him, unable to stop her eyes from gazing the sight of him in his suit, especially how it sat on his broad shoulders. He looked handsome, in every explanation of the word, and she felt herself begin to blush.

"Such a shame," he shrugged. "You look absolutely stunning." Her blush deepened, suddenly well aware of her fitted black dress and Christian Louboutin's. She swallowed.

"Again, it's not for you," she said as her eyes narrowed. She may have fallen to his antics last night, but she wasn't going to allow herself to do it again. She was much stronger than that. "And if you'll excuse me, I have to go." She turned to leave, but stopped when Darien grabbed at her hand.

"Listen, ah, I know last night I was a bit of a jerk. I got carried away. But when I realized I wasn't going to see you again, I freaked out. I thought maybe, just maybe, if I walked up to your work, maybe I'd see you there. I didn't mean to revert back to old habits and pick on you. I'm sorry," Darien apologized. Serena sighed.

"You don't get to intrude on my life like this, Darien," she said firmly. "Again, if you'll excuse me." She looked at him, waiting for him to let go of her hand. He complied, letting her walk away. She took in a deep breath and straightened her shoulders, very aware of his eyes on her as she moved further away from him. She swallowed hard as she felt her heart pounding in protest, but she wasn't going to let him win. No, he didn't deserve to win. He didn't deserve her.

#

After what felt like an eternity, ten minutes later her boss and his wife, Ami, arrived. Serena had met Ami many times prior, and was completely surprised to find that she was only a few years older than her the first time she met. The two of them had clicked immediately, always chatting with one another at corporate events and occasionally meeting up for coffee or lunch together. Truly a power couple, Ami was a pediatric doctor at the city's Women and Children hospital. Kindness always radiated from her, a trait that Serena adored. She didn't get too close to her, however, knowing that she is the boss' wife; but nonetheless, it was a pleasant distraction to have tonight.

"Ami, it's been too long," Serena said as she gave her a gentle embrace, which Ami returned.

"Yes, absolutely. Greg, stop overworking this woman!" Ami laughed as she play-swatted him. Greg just shook his head with a smile.

"Ami, if I didn't overwork this woman, we wouldn't be here tonight, now would we," he teased back. "Come on, Serena, let's go celebrate. Is Seiya on his way?"

"He had a meeting with Arnold Kraft at 6, so I'm not sure," she said with a shrug. "He said he would try to be here.

"Seiya is a good man," Greg mused, clearly pleased that he put his own client before this dinner. Serena frowned at the obvious satisfaction.

"Yes, he is," she agreed, "although it would have been nice to share this with him."

"I'm sure he will make it, right Greg?" It was more of an insistence than a question, Serena noted, as she watched Ami look up at her husband, her blue eyes full of demand. One thing about Greg and Ami's relationship that Serena had quickly picked up on is that while Greg may be the one of the Partners of the office, Ami was certainly the boss at home, and just about everywhere else. When Ami was displeased, Greg became grains of sugar slipping through her fingertips. True to her thought, Greg's mouth pursed as his cell phone pulled out.

"If you'll excuse me a moment," he said as stepped away from the two of them. Ami smiled back at Serena.

"Seiya should be here soon," Ami gently laughed as she straightened out an imaginary wrinkle on her dress.

Serena shot a small smile of thanks, but also felt slightly uncomfortable. Hopefully Ami's demand wouldn't interfere with her relationship with Greg. While she appreciated that he stepped off, presumably to call Seiya, she didn't need the boss' wife to fight her battles for her. She understood why he wasn't here, despite how frustrating it was.

"Come with me to the ladies room before we go upstairs?" Ami asked as she linked Serena's arm, steering her in the direction of the restrooms. Serena strode alongside her, their heels simultaneously clicking amongst the marble floors of the lobby.

"I sure hope that there isn't a long wait to get into the restaurant," Ami mused, looking around at all the people gathered in the lobby. "Although, I am sure there is a reservation secured," she concluded.

"I would presume so," Serena agreed. "I agree, though, I am not sure why we he chose a hotel restaurant rather than any of the other areas amongst the city."

"The Blue Room is quite lovely," Ami acknowledged. "And they do have some of the best seafood in the city."

"I've never been," Serena responded as they arrived at the restroom. Serena gently tousled her hair before checking her makeup. She did not have a lot of time to get ready, so she did the absolute minimum makeup job, only adding on light hues of eyeshadow and mascara. She pulled out a tube of lipstick and reapplied the light pink shade, sweeping the shimmering pigment over her lips. Taking a step back, Serena looked in the full length mirror – a nice touch for a hotel restroom, she deemed – fretting over her outfit. Darien's complement lingered as she profiled herself. Perhaps she was too dressed up? She knew that Seiya loved this outfit when she wore it a few months ago, especially the heels he splurged on for her birthday. Irritation blossomed as she tried to ward off the complement singing in her mind. Seiya. She dresses up for Seiya and no one else.

"Serena, are you okay?" Ami emerged behind her, breaking Serena of her thoughts.

Serena turned to her, plastering on a fake smile. "Just a little nervous, I've never been to such a dinner," she lied, hoping the brilliant woman would not catch on. Ami smiled back and placed a reassuring hand on her arm, giving a gentle squeeze.

"Don't worry, we will have some chatter, some wine, and an amazing meal. You've earned this, Sere," she added. Serena exchanged a wider grin.

After a few more checks, the girls emerged to find Greg waiting by the elevators, holding a discussion with who Serena presumed to be a hotel guest or colleague. Her breath hitched in her throat as their approach neared when she realized who he was talking to.

"Ladies," Greg called out as he motioned for Ami and Serena to join him. As they approached, Serena's stomach felt like a pit was forming. Why was he always around every corner?

"This is Doctor Darien Shields, he is in town from the States," Greg introduced. "Darien, this is my lovely wife, Doctor Ami Mizuno, and my colleague, Serena Tsukino."

"How do you do?" Ami extended her hand and shook his, exchanging brief pleasantries. Serena, however, kept her arm at her side while watching him with distrusting eyes, none too eager to strike up a conversation.

"So, Doctor Shields, what brings you here?" Ami asked.

"Darien, please. I am presenting at the symposium," he answered.

"How wonderful! I had wanted to attend this conference, but unfortunately the timing was not on my side. What field do you practice in, Darien?"

"I am a pediatric neurosurgeon," he replied. "And you?"

"I am a pediatric oncologist," she answered.

Serena continued to stand there and watch them engage in conversation, her irritation growing. She began to grow uncomfortable, especially when he would look up at her while talking with Ami. She inwardly seethed at the obnoxious bad luck she was having running in to him. Desperate, she glanced around the lobby, hoping that Seiya would burst through at any moment. Instead she was greeted with the site of strangers. Annoyed, she looked down at her watch. She thanked the stars when she that it was just shy of half past 7, her grin a little too wide.

"Greg, it is 7:30 now," Serena overeagerly interrupted, effectively ending the conversation. Greg nodded as he looked down at his own watch in agreeance.

"Yes it is. If you will excuse us, Doctor, we have a dinner reservation to attend. It was wonderful meeting you," he boasted as he shook his hand.

"And you too, sir, Doctor," he added as he nodded to Greg and Ami. As he began to walk away, just as Ami and Greg's turned to face the elevator, Darien stopped mid-stride.

"Serena."

Her exterior remained stiff, forcing herself to not be provoked by his voice. A voice as smooth as honey, and just as sweet. Her heart pounded wildly as it was injected. Serena let herself glance back at him, watching as he slowly walked away from her. She hated the effect he had on her, how after so long he could blaze into her life and throw her emotions into turbulence. He was like drug, and no matter how many times she tried to quit him, he would slip back into her senses, tempting her mind with his azure eyes and seductive smile. She sucked in a longing breath, reminding herself why he was no good for her. She startled when she noticed he was looking back at her, his eyes mirroring what she could only imagine hers were casting. Snapping back, she detached her gaze and slipped her mask back on, cursing herself for allowing him to see a moment of weakness. Just as she was about to turn around, breezing beyond Darien's frame was Seiya, waving to the group just as the elevator dinged. Once he approached, Seiya wrapped his arm around Serena's waist as he shook Ami and Greg's hand. The doors of the lift sprung open.

Serena took one daring final look. All she saw was agony.

#

The couple waved as Greg's driver drove away from the hotel, and Seiya quickly encircled Serena's hips and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I am so, so proud of you," he boasted as they swayed. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You have no idea how happy I am you made it," she replied. "How did you get here so fast?"

"Greg called me just as I was wrapping up. He sent his driver up to come get me so I wouldn't miss your dinner," he briefly explained. Serena smiled.

"That was so nice of him," she said. "How was his car?"

"Amazing," he simply replied. The two of them laughed.

"Ok, baby, time to continue this celebration. I am so proud of you!" he loudly exclaimed as he kissed her lips, his hands sliding up and down her frame. "Hotel bar?"

She grinned; his excitement was always infectious. "Hotel bar," she agreed. He clasped her hand and led her to the space, it's large bar situated in the open with tables sprawled throughout. As they approached, she leaned up against the countertop, but straightened quickly as she heard him emit a low groan. She faced him, raising an eyebrow in question.

"That dress," Seiya simply said, explaining it all. Yes, this is why she wore this. This is exactly why she wore this. She returned to him a seductive smile.

"I thought we were getting a drink?" she asked in mock innocence, causing him to grin even more.

"Baby, the things you do to me," he said as his hands settled back on her hips, pressing her into his frame. She let out a gasp as she felt his response.

"Seiya!" she quietly exclaimed.

"It's the dress!" he excused.

"You go sit down and get yourself under control mister, and I'll bring us over a round," she instructed. He pouted, but she waved her finger at him. He grinned and walked away, taking a seat presumably over by the window, as he was out of sight.

"Never pictured you with tall and slender."

"Argh!" she exclaimed as she slammed her hands down on the bar top. "Again?!"

"Hey, I was here first this time," Darien countered. "You were just too distracted to notice." He wrinkled his nose as he finished the statement.

Her eyes flashed anger, but she quickly redirected her thoughts as she placed hers and Seiya's drink order. "I'm not leaving just because you're here," she stated.

"And I'm not leaving just because you're here with him," he spat back, sipping his amber liquid. She shuddered.

"Fine!"

"Fine."

The bartender returned with their drinks, which she paid for and snatched away in a huff. She suddenly didn't feel like celebrating anymore. As she approached the table, she tried to hide the angst and frustration, but Seiya picked up on it.

"You ok, babe?" he asked.

She let out a frustrated breath. "Yes, just surprised at the cost of the drinks," she lied.

"Yeah, hotels can rip you off," he said as he took a sip of his drink, believing her. She sipped hers as well, the mixture of cranberry and vodka swirling around her mouth.

The two of them chatted, but her excitement quickly died down and wanted more than anything to get out of there. She never told Seiya about Darien. Nothing specific, anyway. When they discussed their past relationships, she told him she had a bad breakup, but it allowed for the opportunity to move up to Toronto. When he tried to ask details, she evaded them and redirected it to the "But I got to meet you!" line. She never fully understood why she refused to open that wound to Seiya. He would have listened and understood. He probably would have sealed that wound up completely, had she mentioned it to him in the beginning. And right now, she wish she had.

She must have stopped talking, because Seiya interrupted her thoughts again asking if she was alright.

"I'm just getting a little tired," she excused. "It's been a long day."

He nodded in understanding. "Do you want to come back home to my place tonight?"

She almost rejected, thinking that she needed to be away from him while her mind was in turmoil. But, maybe, being with him that night was the right antidote to get Darien out of her head.

She nodded. "Take me home, baby." He stood up and extended his hand out to her, which she gladly took.

"Your wish is my command," he said as he kissed the back of her hand. He lifted her out of the chair and twirled her, wrapping his arm once again his waist. As they walked away, she cast back one final glance at the bar.

He was gone.


	6. Chapter 5

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, which tug at my heartstrings as I have and will always be team UsaxMamo =3 But growing as a writer means shaking things up a bit... right?

Please let me know your thoughts! I'm working on Chapter 6 (it's mostly done) but I love to see your input in case the direction needs changing, things need clarifying, more details are needed... etc. Thank you!

* * *

Serena ascended the stairwell, eager to throw her books on the table and lay her head down. Today was just awful. Awful. Not only had she overslept and was late to her English class, she received a D on her sign language exam. _It's stupid I even have to take a language class_. Pessimistic, she dropped her bag at the top of the stairs, pleased when it made a large thud. She began to walk over to her room when she saw Darien sitting on the couch, his hands clasped together, and a delirious look on his face.

"Dare?" she asked, breaking him out of his trance. "Everything okay?" She glanced up at the clock; he normally wasn't home this early. Darien was in his fourth year of Medical School at Ohio State, and with that he was always at different hospitals or studying. For Darien to be home at four o'clock on a Wednesday was extremely odd. She looked down to see an opened thick envelope on the table, documents sprawled alongside it. Her eyes briefly scanned the documents, trying to see what their contents might be. Her eye caught the word "hospital," meaning,

"You heard back from one of the hospitals?!" She dropped to the floor and sat in front of the table, eager to hear more. Darien had applied for residency at a couple of different hospitals, ranging from Ohio to Pennsylvania to New York. While she told him she'd support him no matter where he went, she kept her fingers crossed that he'd be selected to the local hospital. He was so smart and talented, and he worked at of bunch of hospitals in the surrounding area during Medical School the last few years, so there would be no reason for him to not get in.

The look on his face was of pure joy. She couldn't recall a time where she had seen him so happy. Clearly he got into a residency program, and by the looks of it, it was one he really wanted. He nodded in confirmation.

She squealed and tackled him, wrapping her arms around him as he embraced her, his head resting in the crook of her neck. "I am so proud of you!" she exclaimed. "I knew you would do it!" He broke the embrace and kissed her passionately. She could feel his excitement pouring into the kiss, and she feverishly kissed him back, her heart singing in pride for him. He worked so hard, barely slept, yet made time to be a great boyfriend. He deserved this. He earned this.

For as long as she had known Darien – fifteen years – he had always wanted to be a doctor. It was his parent's favorite topic, how their only son had such ambitions and dreams. Serena and Darien's parents became close friends when the Shields' moved in to town and Darien and Serena became fast friends. As their teen years developed and Darien went off to college for pre-med, it was clear that the friendship developed more into feelings for each other. The only thing was the age gap. Darien was five years older than her, so when he came home that summer at nineteen years old, she was only fourteen and a freshman in high school. That didn't mean she didn't understand love. She was positive that Darien was her soul mate. When he went off to college, she quickly realized that she missed the way they joked around, their goofy banter, and the constant teasing. When he came home, it was like old times; the teasing, the joking, the playful flirtation, but nothing ever crossed beyond it. Serena was still so sure they were meant to be together. When he went back to school, she missed him like crazy, but remained faithful to what she knew was blooming. The following summer when he came back home, she flaunted the body that she knew she grew in to. She had joined the track team, which sculpted her legs and firmed up her core. Her blonde hair, which was still long, no longer sat in its bun and pigtail style, but rather was a long, layered cut that could easily be thrown into a ponytail. Her cheeks had slimmed down, her lips and her breasts had plumped, and she could tell that she was becoming the desire of some of the male population. She had no intention of accepting the advances; Darien was the only man for her. So when he came home that summer, she wore as little as possible to catch his attention. And boy did it work! He was like a fish on a line, hooked, and she was thrilled. They spent the entire summer together, sneaking off together at any chance to entangle themselves in each other's kisses. She remained a virgin until the following summer, and when she was seventeen, she made the bold move to apply to the same college that he was attending Medical school. Fate would have it that she got in.

When she turned eighteen, Serena and Darien proudly announced their relationship, but was at first greeted with hesitation. Serena's parents were concerned about the age gap whereas his were worried about a relationship distraction getting in the way of his dreams. After convincing and proving their parents of the strength of their bond and commitment to not only their relationship, but their futures as well, both parents eased up. Moving in together two years later came as no surprise to anyone, and both of their schoolings flourished with being so close to campus and supporting one another.

"Darien, which hospital? Where is it?" Serena bounced in his lap, beyond excited for him. Her look faltered when a perplexed expression crossed his face. He didn't immediately reply. She sat back and reached out to the table, grabbing one of the letters on the table. _Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, New York._

New York.

#

_Thursday_

-beep - - beep - - beep-

Never in her life had she been so thankful for the alarm to wake her up. Not only was Darien haunting her during the day, but he managed to creep into her dreams. She flopped back down on the pillow. She hated that memory. She had learned that day that he didn't actually apply to any hospitals locally, only out of state. He wanted to grow, he said. Learn. Come back home with different trainings. Her heart broke that night, but he reassured her he would be back. That's when she said she would do her best to join him.

The beginning of the end.

Rolling out of bed, Serena made her way in to the closet and pondered her outfit choice of the day. Slipping off Seiya's shirt, she slipped on her favorite lacy black bra and thong before selecting a charcoal gray dress. Just as she reached up to grab it, she felt Seiya slip up behind her and straddle her hips.

"Seiya," she said in protest as he kissed the small of her neck. After having such a dream, she was not in the mood for another man's kiss. He didn't back down, however, as his hands gently slid down her torso, caressing her skin as his lips made their way up her neck.

"Seiya," she said a little more firmly. She turned around to stop him, causing him to pout.

"Seiya, I have a meeting at eight I can't be late for," she lamely excused her rejection. She sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"And it begins," he teased as he put his hands over his heart, backing out of the walk-in. She didn't tease him back, rather she reached up and pulled her dress off the hanger. Never had she rejected Seiya's advances before, especially in the morning. She found that some morning fooling around put them both in great moods for the day, something Mina had too much fun pointing out. But with Darien latched to her brain like a leech, she felt wrong. She laughed sadly; how is it wrong making love to your fiancé?

Completing the task at hand, she slipped the material against her and zipped it up, adding her black pumps and usual makeup to her outfit. After she emerged from the bedroom and to the kitchen, Seiya's back was to her, making a pot of coffee. Her heart fell. He didn't deserve to suffer at the weight of her emotional baggage. She walked up to him and gave him a hug, pressing herself into his back. He turned around and enveloped her.

"You okay?" he asked her as he rubbed her back. She leaned her head against his chest and for a moment contemplated telling him everything. The encounters, the exchanges, the wounds, _the kiss._ She quickly dismissed it.

"I'm just a little overwhelmed," she excused. _I've been making a lot of excuses lately_, she lamented.

"Tell me what I can do to help," he insisted as he continued to rub her back. She closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the sensation of the gesture, but all she could feel was the dull heartache that lingered from her dream. Her memories.

#

"Hey Mina," Serena said as she slipped into her friend's office. Mina was the closest Serena had to a best friend, and the only reason why she said that was that she, too, was excluded from the heartache of what was Serena's past turmoil. Mina was a huge advocate and supporter of the Serena-Seiya relationship, especially in the early stages before anything even managed to become something. Mina always teased her about holding back, and somehow Serena would never find the words to tell Mina that her heart was still recovering. Truthfully, she kept her suffering to herself, only confiding in her friend – Haruka – back home in Ohio. Her life out here was separate from her life back home, and she had purposely kept it that way. But now that the distress had officially crossed international lines, she needed to talk to someone.

"What are you doing for lunch today?" Serena asked. Mina beamed; she loved the offer of going out for food almost as much as Serena.

"Why, spending it with you!" she winked as she spun in her chair, her golden blonde hair freely cascading behind her. Serena smiled at Mina's display of her upbeat personality. It was extremely refreshing after the last few days she went through.

"Good!" Serena laughed. "Vagnabono?"

"Oh! Yes, absolutely!" Mina chimed. "Risotto here I come!" She tossed up her trademark 'V for victory' sign in agreeance. Her cheerfulness quickly subsided, though, as she must have noticed Serena's façade slip.

"Sere, are you okay?" Mina asked. Serena crossed her arms; a lot of people were asking that lately.

"Lunch," Serena simply replied, giving one last fragmented smile to Mina. She quickly left her office, overwhelming tears threatening to fall. She held her head high as walked over to her office, where she quietly shut the door. The moment she heard the door click, they spilled over, cascading down her cheeks.

"Damn it," she whispered as she quickly wiped them away, worried that traces of mascara may be streaking her face. He was winning. He was working his way into her head, into her dreams, into her reality. He was affecting her in every way possible, overtaking all her senses. She slouched down and buried her head into her arms. She needed to tell him to go.

Game time was over.

#

"Holy shit," was all Mina could say. Serena stabbed at her lettuce after telling Mina the lengthy story, sparing no detail. "That explains a lot."

"What do you mean?" Serena inquired.

"Well, I could never figure out why you never seemed interested in dating anyone. I mean, come on Sere, you're hot. Don't deny it. And I know you're modest, but you wanted nothing to do with anyone. Seiya threw himself at you for years and you couldn't even see it. Even now guys look you. Hell, they look at Seiya with envy because he got you," Mina stated knowingly as she swirled the pieces of rice around her plate.

"But that aside," she continued, "there was always something I picked up on. You always seemed so sad. That's why I tried so hard to push you two together originally," Mina said.

"I remember," she half smiled at the memories out at the bars when Mina would obnoxiously push Seiya over to Serena. She dismissed the thought.

"Serena, love is not one size fits all. I know you of all people get that. Darien, the way you described your relationship, it sounds like he was a great love. But, he also sounds like someone who only thinks of himself. Didn't you say he have a girlfriend still? Yet, he's up here playing cat and mouse with you? That's low of him playing with your heart. Seiya is completely infatuated by you and obviously loves you. I can see it every time he looks at you."

Mina paused, as if she was choosing her next words carefully. She took a long sip of her iced tea, her blue eyes catching her own. "Serena, if you're having second thoughts about Seiya, don't play with his heart. I understand that this is a crappy situation you didn't put yourself in, but you need to get out of it. You need closure."

Serena's ears perked. "Closure?"

"Yeah, closure," Mina repeated. "It sounds like you never got it."

Serena paused. They had argued, he broke up with her, and he told her there was someone else, but that was it. Within two weeks after the breakup her bags were packed and she was applying for a work Visa, thrusting herself into her new work and her new life.

"You're right," she quietly agreed. She picked at her tomato, tossing it off to the side before stabbing her cucumber. "You know, you're good at this stuff."

"Well Serena, after all, I am the messenger of love," Mina laughed with a wink. Serena laughed along with her.

"Mina, please don't say anything to Seiya," Serena asked as the laughter subsided. Mina smiled in acknowledgement.

"I won't. Just don't let this guy ruin what you've worked so hard to build here."

"I won't, I promise."

#

The work day moved on at a quicker pace, and Serena felt completely rejuvenated. Releasing all that anguish did wonders! Serena happily cruised through her financial reviews, keystroking numbers on her calculator with glee. For hours she pressed on, working well past the sun going down, the glow from her office illuminating the dark hallways. Satisfied, she shut down her computer and put away her files, fulfilled at the amount of progress she had made. With Darien plaguing her thoughts all week she felt herself slipping behind and she hated herself for it. Work was always a priority, and she would hate for her to start falling behind. As she stepped out of her office, she looked down the hallway to see that Seiya's light was off. A look of surprise cast across her face as she didn't recall him stopping in to say goodnight. She pulled out her phone, but no message was there, either. She was actually a little sad that he didn't make the effort to say goodnight. Sighing, she turned off her office light and made her way out of the building.

The walk back was dark, gloomy, and cold as she took the old familiar route to her apartment. Her mind was reeling with reasons why Seiya didn't tell her he was leaving for the day. There was the obvious, that he saw her working diligently and didn't want to interrupt her. There was also that he had an emergency. She shook her head, dismissing that one. He would have told her. What if he was mad that she rejected him that morning? What if Mina told him everything and he was mad at her? She shook her head again; Mina wouldn't do that.

Distracted in her thoughts, she mindlessly ascended her stairwell and opened up her apartment door. Surprisingly, she was greeted with the sight of her lights on and cascades of boxes neatly stacked around her. Her eyes scanned the living room, shocked to see that the majority of her belongings were packed up. Her admiration was quickly interrupted. Seiya was sitting on her couch.

"Seiya," Serena softly began as she placed her items down gently. "You didn't need to…" she trailed off. Her voice failed to continue to respond to his kind gesture, not after she realized a very familiar box sitting beside him. From the wounded look on his face, he had seen the contents.

"Seiya," she said again after a few moments. She could feel panic trembling through her nerves as she sat on the other side of the couch, reaching for the box. Her progress was stopped as he flipped over the box top, all the memories exposed. Her eyes lingered for a moment before making their way up to Seiya's. His gaze held hers for a moment, casting a look of curiosity and confusion. He was the first to break contact with her, and the first to end the silence.

"What is this?" he simply asked. As his fingers skimmed through the contents, her heart was pounding wildly. Fight or flight mode started to activate as she watched him imprint his opinion on each item he flipped through, stressed between telling him the truth and screaming for him to stop touching them. Tainting them.

It wasn't until he pulled it out. It was the item that Darien gave her right before he left for his residency, the item that was promised to keep them bound together. It was a simple design, really; a pink sapphire cut into the shape of a heart nestled on a white gold band. A false promise of eternity now in the fingertips of the man who was planning on giving it to her.

She slid the box away from him, unable to watch him cast any further thoughts. His expression was perplexed to say the least, much like her mind. She shouldn't care that he found photos of her and Darien or saw the pieces of their relationship. She shouldn't care that he found her jewelry. But to see him pick up that ring cast a wave of unexplained pain over her that she couldn't bear to watch anymore.

"Serena?" he questioned as he carelessly dropped the ring back in to the box. Her heart squeezed as it simply hit the bottom of the box, a gentle thud to remind her that all the ring did was sit in a box. Why did the wounds hurt even more now with Seiya in front of her? Why did it feel so raw, so real again?

"This," she began quietly, "is my Darien box."

"Huh?" Seiya sat up straighter. "What the hell is a 'Darien box'?"

Serena took a deep breath. "Darien was my boyfriend for a very, very long time before I moved up here," she continued. "Breaking up was hard enough. Getting rid of everything…"She shook her head, unable to complete the sentence. Getting rid of all photos and jewelry, while at some moments while nursing her broken heart seemed cathartic, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Pushing everything into the dark corner of her closet was fitting, much like burying her heart deep inside herself for so many years.

"I don't understand. Why do you still have it?" he asked, as if he couldn't process.

"I, uh," she stammered. Truthfully, many times she had thought about it once her and Seiya got together. As the weeks, months and years went on, she would forget about it until she would randomly come across it, forcing herself not to divulge in its delicious yet painful historical facts.

"Do you still want it?" It was more of a challenge than a question. His light blue eyes flicked back down to the photos, glancing at all of her happy memories of her youth. He snatched a picture, scanning it with wounded eyes. It was a lovely photo; Darien had his arms draped around her shoulders, his head resting atop hers as she leaned back in to him, tossing the camera a large smile and a peace sign. His eyes lingered on it for a while, as if they were uncovering something. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest as she continued to watch him, unable to vocalize the answer. Of course she still wanted it! This box contained precious memories of her teenage and early adulthood years. It was filled with amazing photographs of innocent smiles, laughter, and love. But she knew she couldn't bring it with her. Not in this reality.

"Serena? Why haven't you answered me?"

She could feel a sob building up in her chest as she acknowledged the final truth. Darien could not come with her to her future, no matter how badly she wanted him to. All the years of keeping his memory alive in a five by seven box were coming to an end. She covered her mouth, hoping to prevent it from coming out. She couldn't cry in front of Seiya for Darien. No, she wouldn't let herself.

He suddenly stood up, all the items toppling over the side of the couch. She watched as jewelry spilled out, taking off in different directions on the hardwood floor as the photographs fluttered to the ground, her eye catching at the lone picture of Darien in his Ohio State graduation gown with her arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him deeply. A bitter taste suddenly aroused her senses. Her heart was in chaos over someone who had no problem breaking it after that event.

"I love you, Serena. You know that. But, I'm not going to be second place to him," Seiya stated, "because clearly, you're still holding a torch for him with that kind of reaction." He made his way to exit, but before walking out, he looked back at her. In that brief moment, she saw the pain, the doubt, the surprise, the hurt, the anguish. She could feel her heart breaking at the all-too familiar expression. He turned around and walked away.

#

Darien.

All things Darien.

She blew through the contents of a bottle of whiskey as she rummaged through the material carelessly spread across the floor, each memory burning her senses. For years she had looked through the box, her heart broken as she recollected on the happier times. This time, however, as she stared at the pictures and tokens, she saw something else. The key from their first apartment no longer was such. Instead, it was a memento to a home of theirs he gave up with the intention to move far away. The photo of them at his Medical school graduation? She could see the pain in her eyes behind the mask of pride on her face knowing their days were limited. Heaving her strength against the pile, all the photographs, jewelry, and various items exploded amongst the perimeter. She bowed her head down, tears forming at her eyes. She had loved Darien so much that it pained her to get rid of these. But she never expected to see the pain on Seiya's face when he saw the photos. His pain was her pain, and she felt tattered.

In an eruption of energy, she downed the remaining contents of the whiskey. How many glasses had it been at this point? Three? Four? She shook her head, dismissing it. She snatched her keys and her coat, bursting out of the apartment. She wasn't going to let it end like that. Oh, no. Seiya's heart did not deserve to hurt from a lie of omission. He was too good to her. He loved her. Her arm hoisted in the air, Serena successfully flagged a taxi, slipping herself in as she told the cab driver the address. They made their descent south on Younge, the alcohol building her confidence to a level she didn't know it could go to. No, it would not end like this. No.

The driver pulled up to the doors, and Serena passed him ten dollars, thanking him profusely for the ride. She stood up, looking at the building, briefly contemplating what to say. The liquid courage rang in her system, and suddenly she was running into the building, overwhelmed to fix this situation.

"You!" sh"e screamed across the lobby, pointing an accusing finger to the raven-haired man standing amongst a group of colleagues. Darien turned around, his eyes full of bafflement, as she closed on him, her anger fully blossoming.

"How dare you," she seethed. She watched his eyes shift around, but she didn't care about the publicity of this. "You storm in to my life after disappearing on me seven years ago, and you think you get to work your way into my mind? My relationship? Oh hell no!" she screamed. Darien suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her out of site. She recoiled, throwing her arm back behind her. "Don't touch me!" she screamed.

"Serena, you can say what you want, just, not here," Darien scolded with his eyes glancing at the viewers. She shoved him.

"Oh no, I'm not staying. I came here to tell you that if you ever, ever come to my place again, look me up again, or attempt to contact me, I will call the police. I will have you arrested. I will tarnish that good name you've built for yourself. That name that was more important that I was. Damn it Darien, I stood by you for everything! I gave myself to you. I was faithful to you!" She could feel him leading her away from the lobby to someplace more private, but she didn't care. The years of heartache were finally bursting out. "I waited for you, Darien. I waited for you for five years but no more. I'm done, Darien, I'm done with you. You didn't want me then, and you don't get to have me now. Now it's too late." Tears were freely flowing as she looked at him, each word from her lips crushing her heart. With gentle velocity, he brushed his fingers up the sides of her cheek into her hair, bringing her closer to his face, pressing his forehead against her.

"I know," he whispered. "I know." Her breathing was jagged as they stayed like that a moment, her wits on overload as he bore his eyes into her own. Suddenly, he captured her lips with his own.

Her eyes widened only for a moment before fluttering shut, pressing herself back into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pressed himself up against her. Her mind was on overload, drinking in all things Darien, as his tongue inserted her mouth, swirling against hers in feverish passion. Her body was on fire, full of anger and anguish as she thrust her fingers through his hair. He broke the kiss and daringly grabbed her hand, rushing her to the elevator, kissing her once again as they wait.

They ascended the lift and made their way to his room, throwing the door open in haste as he pushed her into the area. They tumbled amongst the bed, their bodies wrapped up with one another as they proceeded to taste one another, touching each other in familiar areas that sent them to the edge of passion. She hastily unbuttoned his shirt, kissing his toned chest as he worked his hand on the zipper of her dress. He pulled the material off, brushing his fingers against her breast, down to her tone abdomen, through her hip and down her thigh, the tenderness of his fingers burning her skin with his mark. She was drowning in the delicious state that was Darien. His hand slowly made its way back up her thigh, stopping only at her panty line before slipping the barrier down her legs, exposing him the area he once claimed.

Their eyes lingered for a moment, Darien's figure hazy in the sea of whiskey, pleasure and darkness. She could hear her heart and her head screaming something at her, but she refused to listen to them. This moment: the kisses, the touches, that was all that mattered right now. She could hear their jagged breathing as time froze, her senses transported back fifteen years ago to the first time she saw him, his boyish eyes full of love and tenderness. She blinked a few times, those same eyes staring back at her, never faltering between the past and the present. As he claimed her lips, the tears slipped out. Her hunger for him was growing as she could feel him straddle her, ready to slip in. She pressed harder into his kiss, hoping to ignore her pounding heart she could feel as she felt him inch closer.

Abruptly, it was as if Chronos purposely decelerated him to let her heart catch up to her head. Or was it vice versa? Because just as she felt him about to enter her, she broke his kiss, pressed all her strength into her forearms and tumbled onto the floor.

Then everything went black.


End file.
